'Court must dismiss Chamisa's election petition'

Zanu-PF lawyers have reportedly claimed that the country's main opposition party missed the deadline to submit its petition over the country's recently held elections.

According to The Sunday Mail, the lawyers said that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)'s court application should, therefore, be dismissed.

Lawyers for the MDC arrived at court less than an hour before the deadline on Friday - to submit papers alleging the July 30 vote was rigged.

They were accompanied by Jameson Timba, the chief election agent for the party led by Nelson Chamisa, reported the Associated Press.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had declared President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling Zanu-PF party as the winners, with Mnangagwa having received 50.8% of the vote.

The court filing delayed Mnangagwa's inauguration that had been planned for Sunday.

The ruling party also argued that the papers were not served at the address the president-elect provided to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for purposes of the election.

The state owned newspaper said that the bulk of the 23 presidential candidates who were also respondents on the MDC Alliance court case had not been served with any legal papers.

A report by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), said that the 12 lawyers who were set to represent the ruling party were expected to file responding court papers on Monday.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Legal Affairs, Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana said the party was ready to file its papers in what he described as the "party's commitment to safeguard the interest of electorate".